Find a home inspector you can trust with Eagle 1 Inspection Group
While home inspections are typically used by home buyers, you — as the seller — also have a lot riding on this transaction. Re-negotiations after an inspection may result in you needing to make repairs, a reduction in the price, or if more serious issues are discovered, revocation of the offer from the buyer.
Put yourself in a stronger position for negotiations, and maximize your sale price, by having your home inspected before listing it on the market. To obtain top dollar, you need to view your home sale as a business decision. The pre-listing inspection provides you with an objective, honest analysis of the major systems and components of your home. If you choose to make repairs before listing, you'll have plenty of time to fix issues at your leisure, with no deadlines.
After you have reached an agreement with a buyer, there is less chance the buyer’s agent will come back to you saying their client wants out of the contract or wants to negotiate a lower price. By having a home inspection done before you sell, it will allow you to go into negotiations with more control and ensure a quicker, smoother transaction. If you choose not to have a pre-listing home inspection, then there is a chance that the buyer’s inspection can catch you off guard, just as it can the buyer. If that happens, then you'll be under pressure to correct the problem quickly or lower the price. If a major problem is discovered, or negotiations break down, then the transaction is in jeopardy. And when a deal falls through, no one wins.
Understandably, you have developed an emotional attachment to your home. Several strangers will be entering your home during the selling process, some more respectful than others. You can rest assured that we respect your time and property as though it were our own. Our professional home inspectors will wear shoe covers or remove their shoes while inside your home. We strive to always be on time and take every precaution to avoid causing any damage to your property. By the time we are finished, it should be as though we were never even there, and every appliance, thermostat, or piece of equipment should have been returned to their original settings.
It's your home. You probably know it inside and out. However, as you live or are around something for long periods of time, most people tend to underestimate or not even notice some issues. A home inspection is still valuable because a home inspector is trained to notice things that most people won't. Your certified home inspector also has a lot of training and experience to draw on when assessing any problems, they encounter.
Although normally used for home buyers, pre-listing inspections are becoming more common. Sellers can save themselves a lot of time and hassle by scheduling a Pre-Listing Inspection before putting their property on the market. We will report on issues in the home before there’s the chance for a potential buyer’s inspector to discover them, giving sellers the opportunity to address them ahead of time and make their home more attractive and valuable for the market.
As a seller, there a few things you can do to prepare for the inspection. Being prepared will help the inspection go smoothly and increase your home's appeal to potential buyers.
This may be stating the obvious, but it's imperative that your house is as clean as possible. Not only does this increase your home's appeal, but it also helps the inspector by making it easier to move around and access various areas of interest. The inspection is a visual, non-invasive, inspection. The inspector does not move personal items. So personal items should not block access panels (attic, fuse box, crawl space, etc.).
Utilities need to be connected so the inspector can test things like water flow, electrical outlets, water heaters, furnace, air conditioning, and so on. Without the utilities connected, the home inspector will have no choice but to suggest inspection by a specialist.
Appliances that are not connected to water, power, oil, or gas cannot be turned on by the home inspector. All appliances should be working properly, and abandoned appliances should be removed.
In the Winter, try to provide a path around your house. In the Summer, clear away any overgrowth or dead branches that may come into contact with the home.
This may seem crazy, but make sure the house number is visible from the street. People are going to need to check out the house, so you'll want to make sure they can find it without any trouble.
Eagle 1 Inspection Group provides sellers with a pre-listing home inspection in Columbus, Edinburgh, Franklin, Whiteland, Greenwood, Indianapolis, Nashville, Bloomington, Hope Greensburg, Elizabethtown, Seymour, North Vernon, Madison, Sellersburg, Indiana, and surrounding cities . Not sure if that's you? Give us a call at (812) 546-9911 or send us an email.